Malagan Labadama: A Tribute to Buk-Buk

The Melanesian island of New Ireland is a province of Papua New Guinea and
lies in the Bismarck Archipelago four hundred miles northeast of New
Guinea. For the people of the Mandak region of New Ireland the most
dramatic and complex ceremonial events in their community are those
surrounding death. A malagan is a carved, painted representation, given
ceremonially in honor of a deceased person as a final mortuary offering;
the term may also refer to the spirit represented by the carving, or to the
festivities accompanying its presentation.

This is the story of the three Kaparau brothers from Pantagin village,
Eliakim, Raymond and Anton, who organize a malagan labadama for their
deceased kinsman Buk-Buk. Buk-Buk had been the paramount lulai (chief) of
the Mandak region, had served as a government employee under the German
colonial administration, and witnessed the Japanese and Australian
occupations. Elaborate preparations that last for months, tatanua dancers
performances and the slaughtering of large numbers of pigs are all a part
of the malagan and are all portrayed in this superbly photographed film.

The filming coincided with the fieldwork of Elizabeth Brouwer, an
Australian anthropologist who served as a consultant for the film. Dr.
Brouwer's dissertation topic was this particular malagan. There is
contradictory information about these rituals. According to Dr. Roy Wegner
of the University of Virginia, this memorial was not a re-enactment of a
defunct tradition but a typical lengthy ritual that continues to thrive in
New Ireland. Stephen Madana, et al, of New Ireland feels that this
tradition is fading as there are not many people left who can carve a
malagan and that people are too busy to mount a memorial or incur the
expenses. A hopeful benefit of this film will be to convince young Mandaks
to be more involved with village life and generate interest in future
rituals.